If Penguins Could Talk...

I wonder what this bird would tell us? Was his adventure a high point in his young life, or the scariest thing ever? It makes me want to re-read The Story of Ping, a picture book about a runaway duckling I read in kindergarten.

In any case, the runaway penguin is back at home, only a little worse for the wear.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012


Penguin picked up case of pinkeye
AFP-Jiji

The plucky penguin that was recaptured last week after nearly three months on the lam in the polluted waters of Tokyo Bay has conjunctivitis, an aquarium official said Monday.

The Humboldt penguin, one of 135 kept at Tokyo Sea Life Park, was taken back into captivity after 82 days of freedom following a breakout that made global headlines and garnered it a following around the world.

On Friday, the day after its adventure came to an end, the bird "was diagnosed by a veterinarian as having conjunctivitis, so we have kept it in a room separate from the rest of our penguins," said aquarium official Takashi Sugino.

Fans of the 1-year-old runaway — known by the aquarium only as Penguin No. 337 and lacking any sexual features due to its age — will have to wait until it has recovered from the condition, also known as pinkeye, before it is back in public view.